To Peer Into The Abyss : a psychoanalytical analysis of edgar allan poe's the imp of the perverse

This essay is based on the premise of psychoanalytical literal theory through a perspective of the author-imprint, or the mirroring neural-effect of the author as an external persona - a force influencing, constructing and enforcing traits, intertextual messages and sublime meanings of the subconscious in the primary text material – the short story Imp of the Perverse, published by Edgar Allan Poe in 1845. The aim is to view this short story in light of Poe's empirically documented destructive personality, proposing that the message of the story, in itself, is more than simply a tale, but part of a larger contextual idea sprung from the pained soul of the author. As primary source for the hypothesis statement, theories by Freud and the later constructions on psychoanalysis as a tool for interpreting literature have been used, such as the collected works of Kurzweil & Phillips (Literature and Psychoanalysis). Further reference will be made to extensive autobiographical works on Poe himself, combined with specific research within the psychoanalytical field by authors such as Dr. Liebig (Criminal Insanity and Hypersensibility in Edgar Allan Poe), M. Bonaparte (The Life and Works of E.A. Poe, a psycho-analytic interpretation) and more. The results of this paper found that the dysfunctional lifestyle and neurotic tendencies of Edgar Allan Poe strongly indicate a connection between his psychological state, his experiences and the message of The Imp of the Perverse. The claim, then, is that Edgar Allan Poe did indeed fuel his short story with direct elements of his own psyche and moral values.